In a letter to Goyal, the chief minister stated, that there has been a long standing and genuine demand of Odia people residing in Surat, Gujarat for a daily direct train between Surat and Berhampur in Odisha. The letter said, a large population of Odia workers are engaged in power loom, dyeing and printing, diamond cutting and other spheres of trades and commerce, in the Surat economic cluster, who need daily train service between their place of work and place of origin, i.e. between Surat and Berhampur.”

“At present, there is not a single train service directly connecting (originating/terminating) Berhampur and Surat although more than seven lakh people of South Odisha especially from Ganjam district are residing and have various travelling needs. Presently, only 12843/12844 (Puri-Ahmedabad express running 4 days a week), 18401/18402 Puri-Okha Express (once a week) and 22974/22975 Puri-Gandhidham (once a week) are providing connectivity between these two places. But as these group of trains are originating and terminating at other destinations, availability of accommodation of Surat and Berhampur is highly inadequate”, the letter stated.